of chicago



Feb. 26,1929. 1,703,550

w. F. sums APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING HYDROCARBONS Original Filed May 9.1921 five/z? W66, Willis F." Sim! Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES EATENT FFEQE.

WILLIS F. SIMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTSCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIGN OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING- HYDROCARBONS.

Application filed May 9, 1921, Serial No. 487,896.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for convertinghydrocarbons and refers more particularly to an apapratus for convertinghydrocarbons of a relatively hi 1 boiling point to hydrocarbon oilshavii boiling point substantially that of gasoline and the like.

llhis application is an improvement over a previous application filed byme, Serial 10 No. 445,599, filed February 17, 1921.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide an apparatusin which the vaporized portion of the oil which is volatilized in theexpansion chamber is passed through dephlegmating means in which the oilvapors are subjected to successive stages of dephlegmation; to providean apparatus in which after being so dephlegmated, the distillate maybe. returned and circulated as a dephlegmating medium to the successsivestage of dephlegmation simultaneously therewith having a portion of itsmore volatile constituents relieved by the heat of the vapors; toprovide an apparatus wherein by 5 adding regulated quantities of coolfresh oil to the dephlegmating stages in combination with the returneddistillate, an accurate and positive control of the temperatures may bemaintained in the dephlegmating zones; to provide an apparatus which iseconomical and one in which the oil may be treated continuously.

The single figure of the drawing, a side elevational view of theapparatus.

Referring in detail to the drawing the heating means 1, which maycomprise either a system of tubes or a shell still, are charged with oilthrough the inlet pipe 2 controlled by a valve 3. This oil is suppliedfrom any convenient source (not shown). The heating tubes are mounted inthe furnace l, which is preferably heated by means of gas burners 5. Theoil, after being raised to a cracking temperature in the heating tubes,is permitted to'vaporize in the expansion chamber 6, mounted above theheating coil and outside of the fire Zone. Means is provided forwithdrawing the unvaporized oil from the reaction chamber 6, and isindicated at 6. As mentioned, the heating and vaporizing zones may becombined in the Renewed March 15, 19%.

vaporized oil rises through the vapor line 1 and is directed to theprimary rectifier or heat interchanger 8. This rectifier or dephlegmatorapparatus comprises two headers 8 and 8 connected by horizontallypositioned tubes 8 The cracked vapors entermg the header 8 pass throughthe tubes to the header 8 from which they are directed through atransfer line 9 to a second rectifier or depl'ilegmating apparatus 10.This second heat inter-changer is identical in construction to therectifier 8 having the headers 10 and 10 connected by intermediateconnecting pipes 10. The pipes connecting the headers in the respectiverectifiers are enclosed in the shell which contains liquid distillatereturned from the receiver 11 to the rectifiers 10 and 8 connected inseies, the oil arst entering the rectiiim 10 through the line 12.

Toreturn to the passage of the dephlegmated oil vapors after leaving theheader 10 of the second dephlegmating apparatus, the uncondensedportions of the vapors are directed through the line 13 to a watercondenser 14; in which the coil pipe 15 is mounted. In this watercoiulenser the vapors condensed and pass to the re ceiver 11. Thereceiver is equipped With the usual appurtenauces cons ting of a l quid.level. gauge, pressure relief pipe and liquid drawoil line. Near thebottom of the receiver is tapped the line 12 in which is interposed thevalve 16. The distillate collected in the receiver is directed throughthe line 12 back to the dephlegmator 10 and is there introduced to theinterior of the shell surrounding the connecting pipes 10 through anelongated longitudinally pos tioned perforated pipe 17. The distillwill. rise in this shell to completely immerse the heated vaporconveying pipes and overflow through the line 18 into the bottom of theshell of the primary rectifier 8 through a similar perforated pipe 19.Liquid level gauges 20 are supplied on the periphery of the shells todesi nate at all times, the level of liquid oil in each unit. In thismanner, by directing the heated oil vapors through be at a highertemperature.

a plurality of comparatively small pipes and immersing the pipes in thecooler distillate, it is possible to take advantage of the heat givenoff by the oil vapors while being dephlegmated to redistill thedistillate, relieving therefrom the lighter oil constitucuts orfractions. More specifically, as the distillate returned from thereceiver riscs about the heated pipes in the rectifier due to the hightemperature of the vapors in the pipes 8 or 10, the oil surrounding thepipes will be subjected to a temperature which will redistill thedistillate returned thereto from the receiver. The vapors released fromthe body of this returned distillate are drawn off through the vaporlines 21 and 22 and condensed and collected separately in suitablecondensing apparatus (not shown).

It is understood, of course, that that portion of the oil which is notvaporized in the second rectifier 10 will flow through the line 18 andbe subjected to a similar distilling action in the primary rectifieralthough the conditions of temperature will be increased in the latterrectifying zone due to the fact that the vapors passing therethroughwill As explained, the vapors released from the distillate in theprimary rectifier will pass off through the vapor line 22. The overflowor excess liquid distillate not vaporized in the primary rectifier isdrawn off through the line 28, controlled by a valve 24 and returnedthrough the pump 25, and lines 26 and 27 to the charging line 2. Thecondensate condensed from the vapors in the respective dephlegmating orrectifying elements is drawn off from the headers through secondarylines 28 controlled by valves 29, which connect to a header 30 throughwhich the condensate is directed to a pipe 31 to the line 27. In thedrawings, but two rectifiers have been shown but it is understood that anumber of these dephlegmating units may be connected in series and thedistilla e re turned through each successively. Distillation may beaccentuated in the rectifier-s by injecting live steam through the pipes32 controlled by valves "his alternative is not essential, however, toprocure adequate evaporation of the distillate. In returning thedistillate, from the receiver, the valve 16 is positioned in the returnline to reduce the pressure on the distillate in order that thedistillate in the rectifying or dephlegmating apparatus may be atsubstantially atmospheric pressure. 7

Further, it has been found that due to the fact of the temperature andlimited quantity of the distillate, the control over the temperatures inthe respective dephlegmating apparatus is somewhat restricted.Consequently, it has been found feasible to connect the distillatereturn line 12 with a secondary line 34, controlled by a valve 34communicating with the charging line 2 and a similar line 36 controlledby a valve 35 communicating with the line 18 which transmits thedistillate from the rectifier 10 to the rectifier 8. By introduction ofregulated quantities of raw oil to either of the dephlegmating unitsthrough these lines and combining this raw oil with the returneddistillate prior to its introduction to stated units a more accuratecontrol is obtained over. the temperatures of the dephlegmating mediumpassing through the respective rectifier. This raw oil, in addition,adds somewhat to the quality of the distillate obtained from the vaporsdrawn from the respcctive dephlegmating units, due to the fact that itenters the zones in a relatively untreated state. This makeup oil isreturned to the cracking tubes with the unvaporized portion of thedistillate and is subjected to treatment with the raw oil charge.

An illustrative run of the process, using the described apparatusfollows: Char-gin oil of approximately 81 degrees Baume gravity andheating the same to a temperature of 750 to 850 degrees F., directingthe oil vapors released from the cracked oil body through successive:stages of dephlegmation and collecting the dephlegmated vapors asdistillate after which the entire or a portion of said distillate may bereturned to the dephlegmating stagesin reverse order, and using thedistillate as a dephlegmating medium with regulated additions of rawoil, there has been obtained therefrom oil fractions of a gasoline-likecharacter from the distillation in the second dephlegmating stage and adistillate approximately more closely a kerosene out having a Baumgravity of from l0 to 42 degrees from the dephlegmating stage having thehigher temperature. By this process, it has been possible to isolate theincondensable gas and separate therefrom the more desirable fractionsand byrdistilling this distillate in the dephlegmating zones, arelatively sweet, marketable product is produced inas much as thegasoline like fractions are distilled off while the heavier fractionsremain in an unvaporized state and are returned for recraclring in theheating coil and expansion chamber, said incondensable gases beingdischarged through the valve controlled gas pipe leading from thereceiver 11.

I claim as my invention:

An apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oil, comprising a heating coil, areacting chamber and a dephlegmating means, serially connected, meansfor condensing uncondensed vapors issuing from said dephlegmating means,means for collecting the resulting distillate, means for returningregulated quantities of the distillate to said dephlegmating means, tobe subjected to redistillation while out of contact with vaporsundergoing dephlegmation in said dephlegmating means, means forsupplying incoming charging oil in regulated quantities to saiddephlegmating means, to aid in maintaining a controlled temperaturetherein, means for Withdrawing unvapo-rized oil from said reactionchamber, and means for maintaining a lower pressure on the distillateundergoing re-distillation in said dephlegmating means than ismaintained on the vapors undergoing dephlegmation in said dephlegmatingmeans.

WILLIS F. SIMS.

